This Full-Scale Planet Rendering System Is So Efficient, It Runs On Mobile
Developed by Stef Morojna for Spaceflight Simulator 2.
Stef Morojna, the developer behind Spaceflight Simulator, has demonstrated his custom rendering system that uses GPU-generated texture chunks, making it fast enough to run smoothly even on mobile devices.
Each chunk is a 256x256 texture generated at runtime. As the developer shared, because most of the lighting detail is derived from the generated normal map, the system only needs around 50,000 triangles to render an entire planet. This efficiency allows it to perform well even on low to mid-range mobile hardware.
Stef mentioned that there's a possibility he might open-source the system in the future, as he believes it's a powerful piece of technology that more games could benefit from: by pre-baking the quads instead of rendering all layers in real-time, it enables both more detailed planets and significantly higher frame rates.
Spaceflight Simulator 2 is set to launch on both PC and mobile later this year. In SFS2, players can build rockets and explore the entire Solar System in a detailed aerospace sandbox. Attempt landings, construct space stations, drive rovers, perform spacewalks, explore alien worlds, and most importantly, bring your crew home safely.
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